From the Field

Dave here. 

I thought, for those who might like a look into our lives, I would tell you about our Sunday.

This past weekend we were invited to the “vikendica” of some new friends.  They are the parents of one of Jacob’s school friends, and they invited us to join them for a Sunday lunch at their family home in the hills near Zagreb.  For those who don’t know, a vikendica is a small family second-home, where people will spend free time relaxing and enjoying life.  Sometimes vikendicas are just outside of the city, or sometimes they are on the coast, but they are always a nice break from daily life in Zagreb.  Well, we got to know this family a bit last year, and we had had hopes of getting together for dinner or something.  As it often happens, time slipped away from us all, so we were thrilled that they asked us to their vikendica.  We were joined by a third family (who we were also excited to spend time with) for a relaxing day in the hills outside of Zagreb.  Many compare this area of Croatia to Tuscany, Italy; rolling hills, small farms, gardens and vineyards, and little old homes that have stood the test of time.  This little cabin did not disappoint.  It’s about 100 years old and has been in their family for 50 years.  Our friend’s grandmother bought it in the 60’s after she sold a broach to pay for it.  I would say she made the right choice.  We were only there for half a day, but this day will remain with us forever.  As soon as we pulled into the little driveway, I thought I had entered a postcard.  The home overlooks fields of grass and wild flowers, with small hills and mountains all around.  It felt magical as Jacob jumped out of the car out to join his friends and they instantly ran around in the grass smiling and laughing.  As the day went on, we all just spent time talking and laughing, sharing stories about life and work and family, and watching our kids play.  Sometime around 1 or 2 we finished preparing lunch and we sat around eating and talking some more.  The food was amazing but the time together was even better.  After lunch we decided to go for a nice walk, down into the valley, and up the next hill, then around the small road back to the cabin.  It was a beautiful walk, with the sun shining on our faces, as we enjoyed the Croatian countryside.  The kids (and parents) picked up different leaves for a school project.  Emma stopped a few times to throw rocks, her new favorite past-time.  Then we finished off the walk collecting fallen apples from a tree near the cabin.  As the sun began to set over the hills, we watched the kids play on the big tree in the yard and I began to lament that we must soon leave.  It was honestly a day that I might not forget, and I enjoyed getting to know some new friends very much.